Go independent
BA (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com) flies from Heathrow to Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm and Gothenburg from £88 return. BMI (0844 848 4888, www.flybmi.com) flies from Heathrow to Bergen, Copenhagen and Stavanger from £121 return. EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) flies from Gatwick and Manchester to Copenhagen and Gothenburg. Finnair (0870 241 4411, www.finnair.com) flies from Heathrow and Manchester to Helsinki from £145 return; and from Heathrow to Stockholm from £220 return. Norwegian Air (020 8099 7254, www.norwegian.com) flies from Gatwick to Aalborg, Bergen, Helsinki, Stavanger and Trondheim from £90 return; and from Gatwick and Edinburgh to Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm from £70 return. SAS (0871 226 7760, www.flysas.com) flies from Heathrow and Manchester to Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm from £134 return; from Heathrow, Aberdeen and Newcastle to Stavanger from £132 return; and from Heathrow, via Oslo, to Alta, Kirkenes, Tromsø and Trondheim from £267 return.
Get around
By train
Rail Europe (0844 848 4064, www.raileurope.co.uk) sells train fares and full packages from UK cities to Scandinavia, as well as tickets for major routes within the region (eg, Copenhagen to Malmö from £15 return). Or try local railway networks, VR (www.vr.fi) for Finland; NSB for Norway (www.nsb.no); Swedish Railways (www.sj.se) for Sweden; or DSB (www.dsb.dk) for Denmark.
By car
Europcar (0871 384 9847, www.europcar.co.uk) has more than 30 pick-up points in Scandinavia; a week’s hire from Stockholm Arlanda airport costs from £325. Hertz (0870 844 8844, www.hertz.co.uk) has 250-plus pick-up points across Europe; a week’s hire from Helsinki airport costs from £380.
By ferry
DFDS Seaways (0871 522 9955, www.dfdsseaways.co.uk) links Copenhagen to Oslo from £440 return for a car and four passengers. Tallink Silja (00 49 451 589 9222, www.tallinksilja.com) links Helsinki to Stockholm from £93 return and offers a One Day in Stockholm Cruise from £139.
By plane
Air Baltic (00 37 167 006006, www.airbaltic.com) flies from Bergen to Stavanger from £112 return, Oslo to Helsinki from £100 return, and Copenhagen to Stockholm from £141 return. Norwegian Air (as before) serves more than eight locations throughout Scandinavia.
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Go packaged
Cities
Authentic Scandinavia (00 47 229 41370, www.authentic-scandinavia.com) has an eight-day tour around the Scandinavian capitals – Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo – from £555pp, including rail travel from Oslo to Stockholm but excluding flights. Or try Baltic Travel Company (0845 680 0642, www.baltictravelcompany.com), which has an eight-day tour visiting Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Oslo, including an overnight cruise and entrance to Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens theme park for a special dinner, from £1,935pp, including flights from Heathrow. Or try Abercrombie & Kent (0845 618 2200, www.abercrombiekent.com).
Family
Discover the World (01737 214250, www.discover-the-world.co.uk) has a three-night Icehotel break, with access to an ice bar and one night in a Snow room, from £1,093pp, B&B, including flights from Heathrow; husky-sledging excursions cost £114pp. Or try Scandinavian Perspectives (00 46 854 528180, www.scandinavianperspectives.com).
Activites
Exodus (0845 287 7605, www.exodus.co.uk) has an eight-day cross-country skiing trip in Rondablikk, southeastern Norway, that includes ice-fishing, dog-sledding or snowshoeing and guided day tours, from £1,229pp, with flights from Heathrow. Or try Magnetic North Travel (0845 519 5242, www.magneticnorthtravel.com) or Explore (0845 868 6356, www.explore.co.uk).
Cruising/Fjords
EWaterways (0808 168 1458, www.ewaterways.com) has an eight-day Aurora Borealis cruise on board the Noorderlicht from South Spitsbergen, from £1,655pp, including all meals but excluding flights. Hurtigruten (0844 448 7654, www.hurtigruten.co.uk) has a 12-day Classic Round Voyage from Bergen, Norway, through the fjords, from £1,608pp, full board, including flights. Or try Voyages of Discovery (0844 488 0883, www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk).
Currency
The official currency in Finland is the Euro; in Denmark, the Danish Kroner; in Norway. the Norwegian Kroner; and in Sweden, the Swedish Krona.
Further information
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Finnish Tourist Board (www.visitfinland.com), Danish Tourist Board (020 7259 5959, www.visitdenmark.com), Swedish Travel & Tourism Council (020 7108 6168, www.visitsweden.com), and Norwegian Tourist Board (020 7389 8800, www.visitnorway.com/uk).